feature
connecting salvos in mission
The grain of ‘salt’ that changed a family opinion
Embracing the gifts of neurodiversity salvation story
Nothing is going to stop Lesley now
June
THE GREEN ARMY
2020
Issue 06 Volume 04 Price $2
How Salvos are reducing their eco-footprint world environment day -
5 june
Learn from our experience
Have you considered learning for personal interest, academic pursuit or to upskill? Start the conversation with us to learn more. Courses available in: • Alcohol and Other Drugs Rehabilitation
• Leadership
• Chaplaincy
• Professional Development
• Community Services
• Theology and Ministry
• Financial Counselling
Learn more evaburrowscollege.edu.au (03) 9847 5400
The national learning centre of The Salvation Army Australia
editorial
words scott simpson
The Christ-centred philosophy that drives us it was christmas eve 1910. according to an
extract from one of the many biographies about his extraordinary life, General William Booth, the co-founder of The Salvation Army, was in poor health. He had become an invalid and his eyesight was failing. Booth’s deteriorating condition meant that it was unlikely he would be able to attend an upcoming Army congress. It was suggested that, in lieu of his probable absence, he should prepare a telegram to be read at the opening of the congress. It would be a tremendous encouragement to the many soldiers of The Salvation Army who would be in attendance, after their hours of ministering to so many throughout the Christmas holidays and the cold winter months. Booth agreed to do so. In those days, when communicating by telegram you paid for each word sent. Knowing that Salvation Army funds were limited and desiring not to use any more money than necessary, Booth decided to send a one-word message. He searched his mind and reviewed his years of ministry, looking for the one word that would summarise his life, the mission of the Army, and encourage Salvationists to continue in their service. A few weeks later, as thousands of people gathered for the congress, it was announced that General Booth, because of his failing health, would not be in attendance. An atmosphere of disappointment descended on the convention hall. It was then announced that the General, anticipating his absence, had sent a message to be read at the opening of the first session. A hush settled over the congress, the telegram was opened, and the one-word message proclaimed: “Others!” It’s a rousing tale, at least the way this particular biographer tells it, but one that has, nonetheless, attracted the sceptics. There are other versions of the story that claim the telegram was a Christmas others.org.au
-3-
message sent to Salvation Army officers around the world. There are many, even within the Army, who claim that it never happened; that the telegram never existed, and the story is simply a myth that over the years has developed legendary status. But that’s not the point. Regardless of whether or not Booth sent the telegram, there’s no doubting that ‘others’ was a philosophy that he and his wife and fellow Salvation Army founder, Catherine, embraced. “You are not here in the world for yourself. You have been sent here for others. The world is waiting for you!” remains Catherine’s challenge to Salvationists. In today’s society, people are busier than ever. Technology, despite its numerous time-saving benefits, has only encouraged us to live life at an even faster pace. COVID-19 might have forced us to take to take our foot off the accelerator for the moment, but I’m not convinced that we won’t rush to resume our hectic lifestyles as restrictions are eased. So, perhaps this time should be viewed by Salvos as an opportunity to recalibrate and to reflect on how we can channel some of our busyness into caring for others. Compassion is one of the ‘values’ of The Salvation Army Australia Territory and is a characteristic modelled time and again by Jesus in the Scriptures. Caring for others is what Salvationists do, or at least should do. More than a century after their deaths, William and Catherine Booth would surely be content to know that a Christ-centred philosophy of ‘others’ still continues to drive the ministry of the organisation they co-founded.
*
Scott Simpson is the Assistant Editor-in-Chief.
othap ers str
20 Kim and Steve Haworth’s journey to faith in Christ and eventually, Salvation Army officership, might never have happened if not for the willingness of a young Salvation Army captain to deliberately ‘get the salt out of the salt shaker’. Read their story on pages 20-23. Photo: Bruce Redman
Others is a monthly publication of The Salvation Army in Australia. Others is printed by Focus Print Group, 25 Arctic Court, Keysborough, Vic 3173, Australia. Print post approved PP236902/00023. Note: Others magazine is not available as a print version while COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Available in online format only until further notice.
Assistant Editor-in-Chief scott simpson
Digital Content Coordinator and Staff Writer lauren martin
Staff Writers
jessica morris darryl whitecross
Issue 06 June 2020 Cover Design: Cristina Baron
Member, Australasian Religious Press Association. Bible references: New International Version unless stated.
Sub-Editor
dean simpson
Subscriptions Annual: $24 (includes GST). Available from: subscriptionsothers@salvationarmy.org.au, phone (03) 8541 4562 or post to The Salvation Army, National Editorial Department, PO Box 479, Blackburn Vic. 3310
Proofreader dawn volz
Contributors
General
nicky gangemi
brian peddle
bill simpson mark hadley
Territorial Commander
commissioner robert donaldson
Secretary for Communications lieut - colonel neil venables Editor-In-Chief lieut - colonel laurie
simone worthing
Advertising By email to: advertisingothers@salvationarmy.org.au
Graphic Designers cristina baron
General Enquiries By email to: others@salvationarmy.org.au
Subscriptions enquiries robertson
sue allensby
-4-
contents
Cover story
16 feature
connecting salvos in mission
The grain of ‘salt’ that changed a family opinion
Embracing the gifts of neurodiversity
The green Army
salvation story
Nothing is going to stop Lesley now
How Salvos are intentionally reducing their eco-footprint
June 2020
Issue 06 Volume 04 Price $2
THE GREEN ARMY How Salvos are reducing their eco-footprint world environment day
- 5 june
Features
Regulars
24
7
Changing lives on the peninsula
8
From the Territorial Leaders International Positional Statements
Corps plant thriving 10 years after opening its doors
10
28
14
In the eye of the storm
Viewpoint Mission Matters
32
Big Picture
International Emergency Services at centre of Army’s disaster response
35
New Releases
44
Tributes
46
Salvation Story
@Others_AU -5-
@OthersAU
@OthersAU
Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight, alongside others, to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.
vision statement
from the territorial le aders
words commissioner robert donaldson
The key is collaboration Working together to achieve our goal
col-labor-ate means to ‘labor’ together to achieve something.
For many of us, our minds will quickly move to the example of a sports team. And you guessed it, being a New Zealander, my mind goes quickly to the All Blacks – the most successful professional sports team in the world! Fifteen players on the field, 15 different positions, 15 different functions, each performing their individual roles but working together to score points and win the game. The players discuss strategies and tactics, put effort into understanding each other’s roles and make sure that what one does joins up with what another does. They communicate regularly and clearly with each other about what’s happening on the field, cheering each other on and working together for a common goal. Individual players are credited with points, but it’s the team total that matters most. Remember, there’s no ‘i’ in ‘team’, and Together Each Achieves More. There’s a good story about collaboration in the Bible, in Acts 6. As the Church grew, “there were rumblings of discontent” about the distribution of food. The apostles said: “We should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.” So, they selected seven respected people, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and gave them the responsibility. And the result? People liked the outcome and the number of believers greatly increased! There’s also a story in Nehemiah, when others.org.au
-7-
the people’s efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem were being challenged by attacks from their enemies. So, they appointed half to build and half to defend. Together they built the wall. And then there is the well-known biblical description of the Body of Christ (the Church) in Romans, Corinthians and Ephesians. “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Romans 12:4-6). Paul, the author, also says, “The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’ This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:21, 25-26). Whatever way you look at it – team or body – doesn’t matter. The Salvation Army in Australia has one goal. It’s a goal that requires collaboration to achieve: Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight, alongside others, to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus. Let’s col-labor-ate to achieve our goal. Commissioners Robert and Janine Donaldson are Territorial Leaders, Australia Territory.
*
international positional statements
TAKING A STAND Exploring The Salvation Army’s International Positional Statements
REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS – STATEMENT OF POSITION The Salvation Army is gravely concerned for the needs of the millions of people who are refugees and asylum seekers. People are fleeing their homes and countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. Many of these people have experienced significant grief and trauma, which have potential long-term consequences for their health and wellbeing.
that individuals and governments should act compassionately and humanely towards persons seeking asylum. The Salvation Army condemns the actions of people smugglers, human traffickers and others who would seek to gain from the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. The Salvation Army recognises the responsibilities of sovereign nations to control their borders but believes there is also a duty to care for refugees and asylum seekers. Therefore, nations working together to address the dire needs of asylum seekers is critical.
The Salvation Army recognises that the ability to seek asylum is a basic human right, with all people having the right to life, liberty and security of person. The Salvation Army supports international efforts to eliminate persecution and displacement through the promotion of peace, tolerance, understanding and respect for human life and dignity.
The Salvation Army holds that both asylum seekers and refugees should be offered assistance to settle and become contributing members of society as quickly as possible.
God’s hospitable loving concern for the stranger and foreigner is evident in Scripture and, therefore, The Salvation Army contends
Download the complete International Positional Statements at salvationarmy.org/isjc/ips -8-
str ap international positional statements
FOR REFLECTION
• •
•
•
REJECTING XENOPHOBIC RHETORIC
•
What attributes do we share as human beings? Does fear or compassion rule my heart as I try to understand the refugee crisis? What examples of unhealthy rhetoric about refugees and asylum seekers can be found in my context? What opportunities have I recently been given to love my neighbour as myself? Is authentic community already happening at my corps?
FACTS AND FIGURES
P
rominent in the definition of the term ‘refugee’ is the word ‘fear’:
“Any person who, ... owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” – 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, The UN Refugee Agency (unhcr.org/ uk/1951-refugee-convention). We have read and heard of flimsy boats with Syrian refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea, Rohingya refugees crowding into camps in Bangladesh, people in their hundreds of thousands leaving South Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan for large refugee camps in Kenya, Ethiopia and Pakistan. The risks some people take to get to a safe haven, and the conditions they face when they get there, can give only some indication of the gravity of the fear that drove them to flee. At the same time, fear can also describe others.org.au
a common emotion of some people in countries hosting refugees and asylum seekers. Many carry a genuine fear that refugees will compromise the safety or wellbeing of their families, communities or themselves. This kind of fear has recently come to the forefront in movements and political parties all over Europe building on anti-refugee rhetoric, and can also be traced in the discussions about setting up internment camps for refugees off the coast of Australia, or in the debate about the so-called ‘travel ban’ to the United States – among other examples. The reflections (above right) reiterate the International Positional Statements’ call to action, and try to provide some ideas of what a response might entail. Awareness is one place to start – informing ourselves, and informing others. In this process, we need to reject xenophobic rhetoric, and challenge politicians and others who choose to offer simplified solutions, rather than help us comprehend complex reality and dilemmas.
*
This series of articles was first published in The Officer magazine. -9-
• •
•
•
•
•
•
There are 70.8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Included in this figure are 41.3 million ‘internally displaced people’, 25.9 million ‘refugees’ and 3.5 million ‘asylum seekers’. More than 37,000 people a day are forced to flee their homes because of conflict or persecution. That's one person forcibly displaced every two seconds. About 80 per cent of refugees are living in countries neighbouring their country of origin. About 57 per cent of refugees come from three countries – Syria (6.7m), Afghanistan (2.7m) and South Sudan (2.3m). The top refugee-hosting countries are: Turkey (3.7m), Pakistan (1.4m), Uganda (1.2m), Sudan (1.1m), Germany (1.1m). The greatest number of new asylum applications in 2018 was from Venezuelans (341,800 new asylum seekers). Statistics sourced from website of UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency (unhcr.org)
vie wpoint
VIEWPOINT
Been thinking? We bring you a selection of opinion, critical thought and topical writing to get you engaging with the world around you. To read more go to: others.org.au/viewpoint
words peter m c guigan
The autumn of our lives A season to make all things new
the trees in our street declare
it’s autumn in the natural world, their green leaves metamorphosing to shades of brown and yellow and orange, separating from branches, falling, crumbling, becoming a stunning multicoloured mosaic on the earth below. Right now we are captured by autumn’s beauty, but it won’t be long before our caretaker nature kicks in and we gather up the leaves and send them to their destiny – the ‘green’ garbage or the backyard compost. The leaves are dying after all, and the deadening process will leave trees bare and branches looking like nothing but sticks, at least until spring. The seasons are vital for the earth. From a purely technical standpoint, they occur because the earth’s axis is tilted, causing the degree of sunlight in the earth’s hemispheres to vary as it orbits the sun – a 365-day round trip. That might sound a little scientific, but the fact is that if the earth was not tilted, we would not have seasons. It would be the same all year round, an unthinkable and unsustainable planetary scenario! So the earth’s tilt is not by accident. Each of the seasons, particularly in the globe’s mid-latitude or temperate zones, is critical to earth functioning as a sustainable
environment for life and autumn is no less vital than summer, winter or spring. It’s in autumn that the earth begins to down tools and rest for a while. Farmers harvest their crops and keep an extra store for the coming winter months. Animals gather extra supplies to see them through or migrate to warmer climates. Some grow thicker coats and others prepare for hibernation. Energy from the sun reduces, the earth sheds its skin and awaits spring. I recently noted autumn being called, perhaps prophetically amid the current global crisis, ‘The Cooling-Off Season’. But surely we don’t need the coronavirus pandemic to tell us that periodically human beings need their own cooling-off period, a personal autumn when we slow down, shed our skins, and are revitalised. I’m talking first about a stopping experience, a letting go of our life’s old season with its highs and lows, its joys and griefs, its gains and losses, its energy and exhaustion, its perfect days and storms. Then, a transitioning, a process of preparation for something new. For a while, things may look bare on the surface but underneath, as we wait and reflect and seek what’s good for our nourishment, our lives are primed for the day that spring arrives. To our disadvantage, often it’s years, sometimes decades, between the autumns of our lives. Our need for stopping and shedding and waiting for replenishment goes on unmet and our lives are diminished. Then there’s a world war or an economic crisis or a COVID-19 and suddenly, whether we like it or not, we’re forced to stop. I’ve often thought that God, in all of his brilliance, built into life on planet Earth a principle of death and resurrection that pervades every dimension of our lives. -10-
When you look back, it’s not difficult to discern this pattern of dying and rising, ending and beginning, discarding and replenishing. Most of us experience it every day in some small way, often unthinkingly; and the earth is constantly renewing itself. How moving it was to see fresh green shoots coming out of black burnt trees only weeks after last summer’s horrific bushfire season. Profoundly, the archetype of this pattern, its focal point and its greatest demonstration, is the death and resurrection of Jesus. It was the Apostle Paul who wrote: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The autumn of our lives is a vital part of this process. It is a spiritual metamorphosis activated by faith in God’s greatest intervention in the affairs of humanity. It is a transformation of the soul that reverberates outwards and impacts the whole of our lives, making all things new.
*
Major Peter McGuigan is Corps Officer at Preston in Melbourne.
vie wpoint
Bible Words
Goodbye. The origin of the word is not actually the Bible, but comes from the older English term ‘godbwye’, which is a contraction of ‘God be with ye’. The French (adieu) and Spanish (adios) words for parting ways are also related to commending the person to God.
words sandra pawar
God’s fingerprints are still visible We just have to be aware of them
“We cannot attain the presence of God because we’re already totally in the presence of God. What’s absent is awareness.” – Richard Rohr
i’m a person who has a deep desire to be in relationship with people. I’m at my best when surrounded by others, having deep conversations, laughing with them and sharing life around a table or on comfortable living-room couches. I’m the kind of person who longs to be fully invested in the community in which I work and live. Not only do I want to be fully present and involved in my community, I want to join God in what he is already doing in these places. I want to hear people’s stories and what God has been doing in their lives. As a Christian, I know that when I work, live or move into a community, I’m entering a space where Jesus is already present and that all I am doing is joining him in what he is already doing. I have come to understand that it is God who is leading and inviting me to join him as his partner, not the other way around. For a long time, I wanted to be the hero others.org.au
of the story, the problem solver, the person to bring Jesus to people, but that is such a dangerous and damaging approach. I don’t bring Jesus anywhere; he was there long before I even knew of the location. In these days of social distancing and isolation I have struggled with not being able to be around ‘my’ people. I have hated that I can’t visit people freely or have them visit me. I feel such a grief for the personal connection I have lost with people in my community. I have also had times where I have mourned the loss of being able to bring the Gospel to these communities. I have
“Jesus has been so quick to put me in my place. You see, Jesus is already there in that community. He is at work, and in fact he never left that community. Jesus didn’t have to follow any social-distancing rules or self-isolate from his people. He was there; he has always been there.” thought, “How will they know about Jesus if I am not allowed to share him with them?” Jesus has been so quick to put me in my place. You see, Jesus is already there in that community. He is at work, and in fact he never left that community. Jesus didn’t have to follow any social-distancing rules or self-isolate from his people. He was there; he has always been there. Jesus was already present in our -11-
communities before we got there, before COVID-19 messed things up and before we had to retreat. This is important to understand because when restrictions are lifted and we are allowed to socialise with people again, our friends and our neighbours are going to have stories to share. They will have stories to share about how God spoke to them, how God provided for them, how God protected them and how God healed them. They might not mention his name, but it was him. While we have been in our houses keeping our families safe, God has been moving. Beautiful stories have been unfolding in the lives of our community members. When life gets back to normal (whatever that will look like), it will be our job to hear, see and recognise the hand of God at work. We will need to recognise the activity of God in the story of the community. Whether the community is Christian or not, whether religious or not, our theology tells us that God has been doing creative and redemptive work in the life of the community, if only we look for it. Wherever a disaster was averted, an expected blessing received, God and grace were at work. Wherever things have worked for life and against death, Christ’s fingerprints can be seen. “All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17-18).
*
Captain Sandra Pawar is Multicultural Planter, WestConnect Salvos, Sydney.
vie wpoint
Bible Words
Bite the dust. Meaning to die or to fail, the phrase has its origins in Psalm 72:9.
words john m c alister
Uniquely human Embracing the gifts of neurodiversity
just before my son’s first birthday,
we visited the Vatican Museums while on a European family trip. While pushing his stroller along the corridors leading toward the Sistine Chapel, I watched his tiny hands flapping excitedly as he looked at the vibrant art that surrounded us. Filled with pride that my son seemed to be demonstrating an early appreciation for fine art and culture, I was taken aback when a woman approached me to share how she had always loved when her son had engaged in a similar stimming activity as a child. “Do you know much about autism?” she added. This was the first time I’d heard the word ‘stimming’, which refers to selfstimulating behaviour, such as the use of repetitive actions or sounds. Although I quickly dismissed her uninvited examination of my son, two years later he received a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), following concerns arising from speech delays, repetitive behaviours and limited social interaction with peers. ASD encompasses a specific set of behavioural and developmental challenges that affect a person’s communication, social and play skills. Each person is unique, however, and displays their own combination of characteristics. As Dr Stephen Shore notes, “If you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.”
My initial response to my son’s diagnosis was to try and fix it. I researched what I could do to make him better and registered him for applied behavioural analysis (ABA), which is the most widely used therapy for autism. It is viewed by many psychologists as the best method to improve social interactions, teach new skills and minimise negative behaviours in autistic children. However, as I took my son to his ABA therapy sessions, I started to feel uncomfortable about some of the process, particularly with the way that he was being rewarded with treats whenever he mastered tasks and goals that seemed focused mostly on having him behave in a more ‘normal’ fashion, rather than on helping him to explore his emotions or to grow and develop as a person.
“Autism is not something to be cured or eliminated but rather a neurological difference that needs to be better understood and appreciated …”
As I looked into ABA further, I learned that some autistic adults view the experience quite harshly, even equating it to a form of abuse causing lasting emotional harm. While I do see the value that ABA can offer, especially in addressing some negative behaviours such as tendencies toward self-injury, I don’t think it should be used too readily to eliminate the ways that autistic children differ from neurotypical children. For example, my son often experiences sensory overload, which can lead him to start stimming, particularly by flapping -12-
his hands. Does this action cause harm to others? No. So, why would it be necessary to reinforce over and over again from an early age that the ways in which he processes things, expresses his feelings and naturally moves his body, are wrong? Why does society so quickly view autism as a problem or affliction to overcome? Every time my son tells me that he’s sorry for waving his hands or for talking to himself, I want to cry, because I know that someone, somewhere, has been telling him that what he’s doing, and who he is, is somehow wrong. Autism is not something to be cured or eliminated but rather a neurological difference that needs to be better understood and appreciated, with all the beautiful strengths – and often painful weaknesses – that come with it. My son’s schoolteacher does this well, such as when she matches him up with a more socially adept peer who, in turn, benefits from my son’s reading and memorisation skills. I now realise that when my son was diagnosed, I was the one who needed to be fixed and made better, not him. I was too quick to mourn the expectations and dreams I was holding on to for him, instead of seeing the gift in front of me that God had placed in my life to protect, nurture and learn from. While not sugar-coating the significant challenges that autistic people and their families face every day, I am striving to embrace neurodiversity, celebrating the value, significance and contributions of every person and the varying ways in which they view and process the world around them.
*
This article appeared at salvationist.ca John McAlister attends The Salvation Army North Toronto Community Church in Canada.
others OthersAU
@OthersAU
@Others_AU
Join the conversation
“ G reat stories of lives being transformed and new ministry opportunities with a missional purpose.” Tracey Tidd “ The Army must again live up to its call to be a mission-focused Army!” Brian Peddle
Others Magazine
@OthersAU follow
“Awesome. God is doing a new thing in the hearts of people. Keep transforming lives in Jesus’ Name.” #livelovefight Belinda Spicer
others.org.au
-13-
“ B rilliant! Love the good news from around Australia.” Peter Hobbs
mission mat ters
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Opening up a world of opportunities words nicky gangemi
e dream of a truly inclusive Salvation Army where everyone belongs, develops and has the opportunity to contribute to the mission! – that’s what Adrian Kistan and his Diversity and Inclusion Team want to see happen across Australia.
W
Is The Salvation Army Australia Territory an inclusive organisation? In many ways, yes. The Army’s social expressions care for people from all cultures and backgrounds, without discrimination. There are more than 100 different ethnicities represented across our different social services. But, according to Adrian (General Manager, Diversity and Inclusion), we are not seeing that same diversity and inclusion in our corps, with only nine per cent of attendees born in non-Englishspeaking countries, compared to the Australian population’s statistic of 23 per cent (National Church Life Survey NCLS, 2016). “Why are people who we serve and care for in our services and programs not also worshipping with us at our corps?” says Adrian. The Diversity and Inclusion Team wants to tackle this issue. “Research conducted by the National Church Life Survey shows churches who engage with cross-cultural opportunities are the ones who are growing and flourishing,” says Adrian. “Our team wants to harness The Salvation Army’s unique position in Australian society to engage with a large cross-section of people and see diversity across our whole organisation.
SERVICES OFFERED BY THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TEAM INCLUDE: •
Being a fresh set of eyes to observe programs and activities at corps or mission expressions.
•
Coordinators act as a safe space for important conversations and questions to be asked.
•
Provide corps officers or managers with insights from a diversity and inclusion perspective.
•
Provide recommendations to help facilitate a more inclusive and diverse program.
Training and resources offered by the Diversity and Inclusion Team include:
•
Online e-Learning and multicultural training.
•
Cultural Intelligence Initiative (CQ) – people can log on and complete a self-assessment. The results are then unpacked in a workshop and participants walk away with an action plan to help them.
•
Theological think-piece on the 'why' of inclusion and diversity.
•
The team itself is a resource available to anyone who would like to engage it.
-14-
Diversity and Inclusion Team National General Manager Adrian Kistan leads prayer at The Gathering, a Salvation Army conference that celebrates diversity and multiculturalism.
“Our coordinators have already been able to engage with a number of corps who have found it beneficial having our team come alongside them. We’ve been able to help them to fulfil the mission they want to achieve. We’re not about assessment but helping to find spaces where tweaks and changes can be made to have a significant impact.” Adrian leads a team of five diversity and inclusion coordinators, who are based across the country. Each coordinator works closely with divisional leaders and area officers to formulate what diversity and inclusion looks like in their specific location. They work with any expression of The Salvation Army, be it corps, Salvos Stores or even different teams and
mission mat ters
Diversity and Inclusion Team – key contacts: National General Manager: adrian.kistan@salvationarmy.org.au Queensland: cynthia.gunawan@salvationarmy. org.au NSW: katharine.dale@salvationarmy.org.au Victoria: nina.conquest@salvationarmy.org.au Tasmania: david.bruford@salvationarmy.org.au Western Australia: alphonse.mulumba@salvationarmy. org.au South Australia/Northern Territory: adrian.kistan@salvationarmy.org.au * In May, The Salvation Army worked closely with government around the policy parameters on JobKeeper and the response to COVID-19. * The Salvation Army also made submissions in relation to Australia’s international strategy on modern slavery, the recent bushfire season and Australia’s response to COVID-19.
streams. The Diversity and Inclusion Team strongly rejects the notion that there is one cookie-cutter way to do ministry and mission in an inclusive and diverse way. The team is agile and flexible in its approach, which helps each individual expression achieve the best results.
God shape his approach to diversity and inclusion. It is his desire to see all people part of the Kingdom of God and it is this conviction and the Gospel of Jesus that drives him and his team. The new national structure of The Salvation Army in Australia has resulted in an expanded focus for the team.
“It is not about having a set diversity and inclusion program. It is about looking at how we do ministry and mission in our diverse contexts,” Adrian explains. “Our coordinators can offer insights and suggestions to help with existing programs so that they facilitate a more inclusive and more diverse culture.”
Now their scope has broadened from ‘multicultural communities’ to include all people no matter their social or economic status, disability, ethnicity or background. With the team geographically dispersed across the country it is better able to respond to front-line requests for help.
Adrian has a passion to see the Word of others.org.au
“Diversity and inclusion goes further than just welcoming people and having -15-
* Although parliamentary sittings have been limited, we have continued to engage with members of parliament and senators on a range of issues with a focus on the JobSeeker Payment (formerly Newstart Allowance) and the need for the base rate to rise after the COVID-19 crisis has ended.
a diverse representation” says Adrian. “It goes deeper to understanding that all people are created in the image of God and are invited in to belong and contribute.”
*
Nicky Gangemi is a resource writer with the Territorial Mission Support Team.
fe atu re
“The Salvation Army believes people are made in the image of God and have been entrusted with the care of the Earth and everything in it.” The Salvation Army International Positional Statement ‘Caring for the Environment’
World Environment Day • Friday 5 June • The Salvation Army Australia -16-
THE GREEN ARMY Reducing our eco-footprint as a church words darryl whitecross
he Salvation Army in Australia is actively involved in promoting and advancing the cause of environmental sustainability on a number of fronts. Corps, missions and centres across the country are planting community gardens, installing solar panels, water tanks, running bottle and can recycling collection points, even composting and starting worm farms as the Army seeks to become yellow, red, blue and green.
T
Even Salvationists working through social-isolation restrictions around the country due to COVID-19 have found their environmental awareness deepening as they rediscover their gardens, re-evaluate their in-home energy usage, recycle items no longer required as they find time to do an early spring clean and go walking and cycling instead of using their cars. The spotlight is turned on these ideas as the planet pauses to reflect on 5 June, which is United Nations World Environment Day. Behind the scenes, Army teams including its Policy and Advocacy stream’s work around the environment and climate change, are revisiting policy on the environment and climate change to present to government at various levels. In May last year, The Salvation Army joined other leading social sector organisations to call for “stronger action to tackle climate change and build greater resilience to the climate change already locked in”. Earlier this year, Salvos Stores presented a submission to the Inquiry on Innovative Solutions in Australia’s waste management and recycling industries. It told the inquiry it was Australia’s others.org.au
largest charitable recycler, having dealt in secondhand items for more than 150 years. New Army buildings are required to be more energy efficient and environmentally friendly in their design and fittings and, where possible, include water recycling in order to have a minimal impact on the environment. There has been some discussion within the Army about the introduction of hybrid-electric vehicles to its fleet. corps leading the way
At Sunbury Corps on the outskirts of Melbourne, water tanks, compost facilities and solar panels have been installed. Sunbury Corps Officer Lieutenant Andrew Webb says the water collected is used on flower beds and the community garden, which has a number of leafy vegetables and some young citrus trees. These are kept healthy using the rainwater, worm urine from the corps’ worm farm and kept relatively pest free by using sonic pest repellent rather than chemical control. Andrew, who was an environmental chemist before becoming an officer, says the produce from the community gardens was distributed within the corps and through its community programs, including its emergency relief centre. Food scraps are collected for compost and to feed the worm farm. A solar panel system meets the corps’ daytime electricity needs and excess power is fed back into the grid. LED lighting and a high-efficiency splitsystem heating and cooling system has also lowered electricity demand. Andrew says the corps has been trying to reduce its eco-footprint for several years, -17-
cover story
fe atu re
fe atu re
but the solar panels on the worship centre roof and LED lighting were only recent additions. “The solar panels have saved the corps thousands of dollars on bills,” he says. “Our water bills are incredibly low, too. We acknowledge that every little bit makes a difference, so we also print double-sided on recycled paper wherever possible.” Sunbury Corps is not alone in the implementation of eco-friendly programs and recycling centres. Jennifer Kirkaldy, General Manager of The Salvation Army Policy and Advocacy stream, says her team is working on a statement that outlines the Australia Territory’s thinking on climate change, “which is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today”. Jennifer says its position would “naturally align strongly” with one of the Army’s international positional statements – Caring for the Environment. “We recognise that climate change is the result of systems that have both harmed creation and human dignity,” she says. “It is having a disproportionate effect on those who are already experiencing hardship and injustice in Australia and across the world, particularly in terms of health, livelihood, shelter and the opportunity to make choices.
To read The Salvation Army International Positional Statement on Caring for the Environment, go to: salvationarmy.org/isjc/ips The Facebook page RedYellowBlueGreen2015 was set up to connect members and friends of the Army on environmental issues and biblically informed responses. Go to: facebook.com/ RedYellowBlueGreen2015 Also, on Facebook, environmental advocate, academic and Salvationist Dr Matt Seaman has set up a page for Salvationists to share what is happening with community gardens, and covers topics such as farming, agricultural and environmental education, sustainability and eco-theology. Go to: facebook.com/tsafgen
“It is our belief every part of Australian society – governments, communities and individuals – has a role in working towards practical and tangible solutions concerning climate change. Many [Salvation Army] mission expressions are already setting an example of good stewardship of the earth and its resources through strong sustainable policies and practices. We want to encourage Salvos and others to continue to build sustainable practices and habits into their lives and speak out on behalf of those most affected by climate change.” becoming environmentally responsible
Dr Matt Seaman, an environmental advocate, academic and Salvationist, has been involved at local, state, national and international levels to help champion the need for the Army to be more environmentally responsible as a church. Matt has a paper before General Brian Peddle, the world leader of The Salvation Army, for consideration. In Australia, at a territorial level, there has been and continues to be, activity in developing a policy that mandates The Salvation Army’s approach to caring for the environment. It includes a proposal that was recently presented to the Australia Territory Board for consideration. Territorial Commander and board chairman, Commissioner Robert Donaldson, says the policy is being reworked to identify an achievable target. “The proposal was highly aspirational, but the board did not think we could achieve the standard that was being set, namely that The Salvation Army in Australia would achieve carbon-neutrality in a quite short time frame,” he says. “Yes, there is plenty we could be doing and should be doing with regard to our responsibility to care for God’s creation. There is as much at a local level through local action as there is through policy. It needs to be both. I don’t want The Salvation Army to simply be part of the choir without actually making a measurable contribution to reducing global warming.” Internationally, the Army is working in a number of key areas to improve how it views and approaches environmental sustainability by drawing on practical, academic and scientific information to create policy. The Army has had an International Positional Statement on Caring for the Environment since 2014. In the document, the Army aims to be “more -18-
fe atu re
consciously involved in seeking a changed attitude that will lead towards a more responsible use of the environment and its resources”. It includes encouraging all Salvationists to be a part of this, through training, education and increased awareness and helping in practical ways people who have been affected by environmental mismanagement.
What you can do There are many ways that we can lower our individual and collective footprint. We can: •
Choose more energyefficient appliances and lighting.
•
Invest in better insulation and building upgrades to improve energy efficiency.
•
Turn off lights/appliances when not using them.
•
Choose renewable energy over fossil fuels by installing solar panels and opting into the energy provider’s ‘green energy’ options, if possible.
•
Opt for a hybrid, electric or solar car.
•
Walk, ride a bike or catch a bus rather than driving.
•
Offset carbon emissions when flying.
•
Use toilet paper made from bamboo, rather than paper.
•
Compost organic waste or put it into a green waste bin.
•
Choose seasonal and locally produced products to reduce food miles.
•
Choose plant-based proteins rather than meat; or kangaroo, chicken and fish rather than beef and lamb; or embracing the bits of the animal that normally go to waste.
•
Buy only enough food and commit to eating it (reduce food waste).
•
Use recycled paper.
•
Keep air-conditioning temperatures to 18-20 degrees Celsius in winter and 25-27 degrees Celsius in summer.
•
Buy second-hand rather than new, or choose a more sustainable product.
caretakers of creation
As part of the move to bring about change, the Army has sought to introduce policies and practices across the globe, which include recycling programs, purchasing policies, waste management practices and the development of innovative ways to reduce “the destructive use of natural resources” and work with governments and other “organisations of goodwill” in these areas. Dr Laurelle Smith, a research analyst with The Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission based in New York, says that Salvationists can make a difference in the world by taking seriously God’s command to be “caretakers of creation”. “We can do more than what our governments are telling us to do, we can go above and beyond what our worldly culture expects and we can inform, inspire and partner with those around us to do likewise – live out Kingdom culture,” she says. Colonel Richard Munn, Director of the International Social Justice Commission, says the Army has produced a paper, Caring for the Environment, which is designed for group discussion and teaching. “Salvation Army concern for the environment is based upon moral and biblical convictions,” the paper says. Richard points out that ‘green community gardens’ projects around Australia are given special mention in the paper. The paper concludes, although caring for the earth was the responsibility of everyone, Christians should lead the way, having a “genuine responsibility to serve God and the community in this ‘vital matter’,” adding that “The Salvation Army has an opportunity to become a leader in this field.”
*
Some of the ‘green’ projects at Sunbury Corps – solar panels and community garden beds. -19-
Darryl Whitecross is a staff writer for Others.
fe atu re
Captains Kim and Steven Haworth, leaders of the Tasmania Division, have come a long way in a relatively short period of time in officership. Photo: Bruce Redman
-20-
fe atu re
GRAIN OF ‘SALT’ THAT TRANSFORMED A FAMILY Haworths’ journey from kindergarten committee to officership words bill simpson
A
round the year 2000, a young Salvation Army captain decided to deliberately engage in intentional relationships, especially with people who did not know the Lord. He joined the committee at his son’s local kindergarten. As a result, a woman colleague on the kindergarten committee became a Christian, Salvation Army soldier, officer, and now is a divisional commander. Her husband also became a Christian, soldier, officer and is now a divisional leader. His parents became Salvation Army soldiers. Neither the woman nor her husband had any active interest in God or church until they met the young officer. The story starts with then Captain (now Major) Bram Cassidy. He and his wife Jean were corps officers at Mooroolbark Corps in Melbourne. “I decided to model something to our corps people,” he says. “It was a case of the salt has to get out of the salt shaker. The message that we in The Salvation Army had been receiving for many years was that we needed to stay away from ‘those people’ [non-church types] because they would taint us. We sang all the right songs, but we withdrew from the world. But The Salvation Army, by nature, are world changers. God brings people into our lives. Ninety-five per cent of people come to faith through a friend.” This, then, was what Bram decided to model to his others.org.au
congregation. Bram and Jean Cassidy had a son at the local kindergarten. Bram joined the committee running the kindergarten. He was elected treasurer. A young woman named Kim Haworth also had a son at the same kindergarten. She joined the committee and was elected assistant treasurer. Bram and Jean Cassidy and Kim Haworth and her husband Steven became friends. The Haworths became part of Bram Cassidy’s ‘relational world’. Kim told Bram that she would like her children to have a Christian education, but private schools seemed to be the only ones offering it and the costs were prohibitive. Bram suggested the Haworths send their son – by now a friend of the Cassidy’s youngest son – to the Mooroolbark Salvation Army Sunday school. Kim wasn’t convinced, primarily from a personal perspective. She wasn’t prepared for the commitment it would require of her. “My immediate thought was, ‘No thanks, I don’t want to go to church’,” she says now. “Apparently the Mooroolbark Corps prayer group started praying for us from that time.” ENCOUNTER WITH GOD
Jean took several opportunities to invite Kim to church. It was seven months before Kim decided to make an appearance at a Sunday morning meeting at -21-
fe atu re
Mooroolbark, and only then to save herself the embarrassment of looking bad for constantly failing to accept Jean’s invitations.
That day was 27 February 2000. Steven didn’t go to church with his wife that day. The following Sunday night, he went with Kim to Music in the Park, an outdoor service run by Mooroolbark Corps. He went to the indoor meeting the following Sunday morning, but said he wouldn’t be going every week.
Kim’s son, Jayden, also turned up for Sunday school on the same day. “In that first meeting at Mooroolbark Corps, I had an encounter with God,” Kim says. “The encounter was supernatural. It’s very hard to put into words. I just had a sense of God’s presence and I felt like I had come home. I felt alive in a way I hadn’t before.
A few months after first attending Sunday services, Jean suggested it might be helpful for Steven to have a better understanding of what Kim had experienced if he watched some Alpha videos at home. “After about the fifth session in the Alpha series,” Kim says, “Steve was driving to his parents’ home. He was thinking about what he had been hearing in the Alpha videos and decided what was being presented made logical sense. He gave his heart to the Lord in the car on that drive. When he arrived, he told his parents. They both came to faith several months later at Mooroolbark Corps and went on to become soldiers.”
“If you had asked me [before the encounter] if I was a Christian, I would have said yes. But, realistically, that was based on the fact that I believed God existed. But I had no concept of relationship with God and what that looked like. “[After the encounter with God], it was almost like all of a sudden my eyes became open. I just felt as if I could see God; I could feel God. On the outside, everything was still the same. But on the inside of me, everything changed that day.”
ROAD TO OFFICERSHIP
On 22 July 2001, Kim Haworth became a soldier in The Salvation Army. Steven became a soldier in July 2006. His enrolment five years later than Kim wasn’t about uncertainty or doubt. It was very simple – nobody had asked him if he wanted to become a soldier. The Haworths’ three children were young at the time. Steven was an adherent. He was assisting with teaching in Sunday school. When the Sunday school leader vacated the role, she asked Steven to take over. He did. “It was like a child-like faith, I suppose,” he says. “I was learning about God while I was teaching it to children. One night in our Bible study group, somebody asked me why I wasn’t a soldier if I was teaching in Sunday school. I told her that nobody had asked me to. So, she said, ‘Would you like to become a soldier?’ It wasn’t that I was waiting to be asked. I was an adherent and teaching in Sunday school and, really, I hadn’t previously been asked if I would like to be a soldier and I was just getting on with what I was doing.” In January 2007, Kim and Steven Haworth entered training to be Salvation Army officers. They were commissioned in November 2008. They served as corps officers at Bairnsdale (Vic.) for seven years from 2009 and Wyndham City for three years until the end of 2018, when Kim was appointed Divisional Commander, Tasmania, and Steven was made Divisional Leader. Kim says she was surprised to be appointed a divisional commander, not only “so soon” into officership, but -22-
fe atu re
Captains Steven and Kim Haworth (left) with Majors Jean and Bram Cassidy, whose relationship goes back to when the Cassidys were the corps officers at Mooroolbark in Melbourne. Opposite page: The Haworths in their 2007-08 Witnesses For Christ sessional sashes.
“at all”. “It certainly wasn’t in my plan, at all,” she says. “I expected and wanted to be a corps officer for all of my officership. I’m a CO at heart.” While Kim is the Divisional Commander for Tasmania, Steven is Area Officer for Tasmania South and Officer Recruitment Secretary for Tasmania. THE ‘OIKOS’ PRINCIPLE
Meantime, Major Bram Cassidy, now Area Officer Metro East, Victoria, maintains his intentional relationships passion. He keeps a message on his mobile phone. The message reminds him of his mission every time he turns on his phone.
the theory of Christian author Tom Mercer, who says that, on average, each of us has eight to 15 people whom God has supernaturally and strategically placed in our relational world so that he might use us to show them his love. Mercer says the Greeks used one word to describe this personal world. The word is ‘oikos’. The oikos principle, Mercer says, is one that Jesus designed, modelled and taught for one purpose – to change the world, “a world that might just be smaller than you think”. The salt, says Major Bram Cassidy, has to come out of the salt shaker for that to happen.
*
It says, “8-15. The world is smaller than you think.” The 8-15 is not the time – it represents eight to 15 people in his relational world. It’s a concept based on others.org.au
Bill Simpson is a contributing writer for Others. -23-
fe atu re
F
CHANGING LIVES ON THE BELLARINE PENINSULA Corps plant thriving 10 years on words jessica morris
or Salvos on the Bellarine Peninsula, the Great Commission isn’t simply a command – it is an immersive experience. And in the decade since the mission expression was planted, this mindset has begun to shift generations of trauma and pain on Victoria’s south-west coast. “God is just building community here. It’s actually just seeing God be God – this is inspirational-lived worship. Not a stamp. You have to experience the reality of God!” I am talking on the phone to Bellarine Peninsula Plant Corps Officer Captain Peter Hobbs, and his excitement is palpable. His team is distributing care packages to isolated locals in Clifton Springs, but that doesn’t stop him from multitasking. “Bailey, tell Jessica about meeting God at the bus stop!” Peter pauses every few minutes to include his volunteers in the call. He tries to relate the everyday divine encounters he and his team have to me. A stranger, Peter tells me, handed their volunteer, Bailey, a donation at a bus stop because “God told her to”. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I quickly learn that divine experiences are common in Clifton Springs. Story after story rolls off Peter’s tongue, about how God brought him into a local auto repair shop just minutes after the owner had angrily graffitied on his wall the words, “I’m not the [expletive] Salvation Army, call them!” And how God began speaking to Peter and his wife Di about the generational sin of their colonial ancestors who lived in the region, only to have them meet Olympian Nova Perris, an influential Indigenous Australian, who shares the same vision for reconciliation in the area.
Left: Bellarine Corps Officers Captains Diane and Peter Hobbs with Olympian Nova Perris at ‘The Ranch’, headquarters for The Salvation Army’s many activities that are held on the Bellarine Peninsula of Victoria. -24-
fe atu re
God is just building community here. It’s actually just seeing God be God – this is inspirational-lived worship. Not a stamp. You have to experience the reality of God!
years earlier. “We had to build genuine relationships with people,” Peter says. “And it couldn’t be the Pete and Di show.” It soon became clear that a traditional Sunday meeting and programs weren’t going to work in the region. Peter attributes this in part to a general mistrust of religious institutions. They adapted, committed to modelling a different reality of what Christianity looks like to their community. “We could do meetings, but there was no life in them,” says Peter. “We found life living in community based on Romans 12; we see lives transforming in front of us because we want to be living sacrifices.”
At this point, I realise that my journalistic ‘nose for news’ is useless when writing about such a dynamic movement. While many churches and missional expressions thrive with a traditional structure, the Bellarine Peninsula Salvos is not one of them. They are fluid and tactile, where staff and volunteers all respond to God’s unique calling for the region. To tell their story, you have to start at the beginning.
The first thing to adapt was the name, with Bellarine Peninsula Salvos becoming known as ‘The Ranch’ – home base for a fluid movement, where the community would gather to access services, learn and experience Jesus. Programs would then be created, altered and cancelled, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, in response to the community’s needs.
GETTING STARTED
Bellarine Peninsula Salvos started as a corps plant in January 2010, purchasing a property opposite the local primary school with the assistance of Salvationist Pam Marshall and local businessman Michael Peck. Fresh out of training college, Lieutenants Peter and Di Hobbs were appointed to oversee the ‘corps plant experiment’, saying God had spoken to them about building a missional community others.org.au
It started with the MAD (Making A Difference) program at schools, where students were offered mentoring. Seeing the need for many young people to do something constructive with their time to avoid trouble, it evolved into Salvos Respo, -25-
fe atu re
started – the fact that God is at work on the Bellarine Peninsula; healing, connecting and reconciling a community to the reality of his love and freedom. And it’s something we can all be part of, wherever we live.
which is an auto mechanic group where youth would work as a group to repair an old car. This experience led the Salvos to the Australia Motor Festival for two years, and would eventually formulate into a youth group and junior soldier program, where many participants from non-church families now return as leaders.
“Genuinely connect with people,” Peter advises. “You’ve got to show them the Trinity. You’ve got to show them by example. Let God be God. Let him transform lives, no spin!”
When funding fell through, they adapted this to the current successful Student Ambassador program, where children are mentored for 10 weeks, teaching them leadership skills and encouraging innovation to help the community. That’s not to mention the corps’ outreach van, a partnership with Parks Victoria, and their mental health arm ‘Strengthening Families Australia’.
*
Jessica Morris is a staff writer for Others.
ESTABLISHED MISSION
Just hearing about the breadth of the Salvos’ work in the region overwhelms me, but the longer I spend time with Peter and Di, the more I realise they have been placed on the Bellarine Peninsula for a reason; few people are more authentically dynamic in relationship. Their open-handed attitude has connected them with athletes like Renee Gerring (AFLW) and Nova. It has instilled a sense of trust with local businesspeople like Tim Paige-Walker, head of their Red Shield Advisory Board, who recently converted his beer distillery into a hand sanitiser manufacturer for the Salvos during the COVID-19 crisis. And it has made Peter a key member of the Greater Geelong Missional Network, which connects churches and services across the region to help the most vulnerable. Despite being at their post for a decade now, Peter and Di still carry big dreams for the future of The Ranch and they know God’s mission for the Bellarine Peninsula goes far beyond them. “People need to know you trust them,” says Peter. “The DNA of what we do has run through so many of them. If we are moved [to another appointment], the mission will live on.” And that’s when our conversation returns to where it
Top: Bellarine Salvos collecting for the Red Shield Appeal. Bottom: Clifton Springs students meeting Aboriginal Elder Uncle Vince Ross (left) and Olympian Nova Perris (centre) as part of the Bellarine Corps’ student ambassadors program.
-26-
fe atu re
RED SHIELD APPEAL
VOLUNTEER FOR THE DIGITAL DOORKNOCK We can’t knock on doors this Red Shield Appeal, but our services are in greater demand than ever before. Volunteer for the Digital Doorknock and raise funds for those in need – it only takes a few steps!
HOW IT WORKS
Search for your local Salvos at digitaldoorknock. salvationarmy.org.au /support-salvos, Here you can make a donation to your local Salvos or join the team and start fundraising. others.org.au
You can volunteer by being a Digital Doorknocker. It’s easy as! Visit digitaldoorknock.salvationarmy.org.au
Create your own Digital Doorknocker page. Visit digitaldoorknock. salvationarmy.org.au/signup and sign up.
-27-
Share your personal fundraising page with family and friends on your favourite socials
-28-
fe atu re
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM IES at centre of Army’s disaster response around the world words simone worthing
T
he Salvation Army International Emergency Services (IES) has been providing support and assistance to territories, commands, regions and other countries affected by disaster and conflict for the past 25 years. From floods, earthquakes and hurricanes to tsunamis and economic crises, IES, in partnership with other organisations, has provided trained staff and volunteers to support, coordinate and facilitate emergency relief and rapid response operations in challenging circumstances. It also offers training and resources.
When disasters occur, there is often a need to support impacted Salvation Army territories or mount a response by deploying international emergency teams. IES relies on the generous support of many territories and is grateful to have personnel who are well trained, experienced and available to deploy.
As the world experiences the COVID-19 pandemic, IES is also assisting in the response through its trained local personnel and coordination of resources in more than 50 different projects globally. To see more on this response, click tinyurl.com/ybsdapnz. Under lockdowns, travel and other restrictions globally, IES continues to assist in a range of countries, including earthquake and tsunami relief in Indonesia, Hurricane Dorian response in the Bahamas and material aid in the Venezuelan economic and political crisis. IES focuses on meeting immediate needs, building resilience and resourcefulness in others and empowering people affected by disasters and conflict around the world to live with dignity and hope. Australian Salvation Army officer Major Drew others.org.au
Ruthven (see Others magazine May 2020, others. org.au/read-magazine/) serves in the IES Program Office, with a focus on Strategic, Security and Field Support. It’s a challenging role that sees Drew based in both Melbourne and at the Army’s International Headquarters in London.
“When there is a natural disaster in a territory, the team contacts that territory to see whether they require any assistance in their emergency response and to let them know of the team’s availability,” explains Drew. “We only get involved if we are invited and if the event goes beyond the territory’s capacity to respond. “We are in a unique position in the international NGO (non-government organisation) world, in that The Salvation Army is already in many of the countries where disaster strikes, has local contacts, is trusted and can mobilise resources quite quickly.” On the following double page we provide an overview of the worldwide impact of IES responses and projects. For more information on IES, go to: salvationarmy.org/ihq/ iesmission
-29-
fe atu re
WORLDWIDE IMPACT The Salvation Army International Emergency Services have been making an impact in communities around the world for a quarter of a century. In the past decade particularly, the number and variety of responses and projects has grown, with the training of personnel and development of partnerships also increasing. Here we provide a brief snapshot of some of those projects, as well as what motivates this important ministry.
numbers of rapid response
Biblical mandate
(rr) and ies projects
1
Africa: 124
Americas: 87
Europe: 33
SAsia: 109
SPEA: 63
2
Africa: 106
Americas: 74
Europe: 25
SAsia: 62
SPEA: 83
*SAsia is the South Asia Zone. * SPEA is the South Pacific and East Asian Zone.
Official IHQ map of world zones at: https://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/worldmap
-30-
N/A
Africa
IES projects 2010-2019: TOTAL: 350
Americas
The Early Church when it provided help for those affected by a Judean famine: “The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea” (Acts 11:29).
Europe
•
IES is committed to playing its part in fulfilling God’s purpose for his world by responding according to the pattern described by Jesus when he commended those who give aid to others: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).
RR projects 2010-2019: TOTAL: 416
SAsia
•
“Emergency response and helping others without imposing conditions is clear throughout Scripture and we strongly hold on to that,” says Drew. “That’s part of why I love my role – I get to see local communities responding in faith and the Army at its best.”
SPEA
•
fe atu re
number of projects related to a specific hazard event
2010 - 2019
IES philosophy
200 Africa Americas Europe SAsia
150
SPEA
100
The work of the IES section is built on a rights-based and people-centred approach, which leads to a disaster response according to needs of the affected community. It works to a set of internationally recognised standards based on the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and the humanitarian imperative, recognising the rights of all people affected by disaster or conflict. These common principles and rights are perhaps best reflected in the following summary:
50
• The right to life with dignity. • The right to receive humanitarian assistance. Other
Drought
Epidemic
Fire
War/Conflict/Displacement
Tsunami
Volcano
Earthquake
Landslide
Flood
Storm
0
The IES team (from left): Major Drew Ruthven (Strategy, Security, Program Officer), Major Alison Thompson (Coordinator), Damaris Frick ( Deputy Coordinator) and Major Chris Mulryne (Administration).
others.org.au
-31-
• The right to protection and security. IES encourages a strong link between relief, recovery and long-term development with a focus on Disaster Risk Reduction.
This feature was prepared by Simone Worthing, Warcry Assistant Editor.
big pic tu re
01 UPLOAD Rating: M Release date: Streaming now Distributor: Amazon Prime
Upload is brought to Amazon Prime by Greg Daniels, known for his work on Parks and Recreation and the American version of The Office. He envisages a world just a few decades from now where everything and nothing is the same as our own. Human beings are benefiting from amazing advances in mobile technology, but still using it to watch videos on crowded commuter trains. Self-driving cars have arrived, but our freeways are as clogged as ever. And food can be created in moments by 3D printers, but dinner is still driven by celebrity chefs. The series centres on Nathan Brown, a vacuous computer programmer in his 20s whose chief concerns are his good looks, his groundbreaking project and
his equally vacuous girlfriend – in that order. However, his life literally takes a turn for the worse when his self-driving car ploughs into a truck. What would normally have been a fatal accident, though, now comes with a high-tech option. People on the verge of death can pay to have their personalities uploaded to a digital construct fashioned to be their perfect ever-after. Once there, the lame can walk, the hungry dine on sumptuous meals and the poor live in luxury. As you might imagine, a television show about humandesigned heavens comes with a necessary warning about language and nudity. Yet it’s still worthy of consideration by a world where audiences are already convinced your afterlife is dependent on your own beliefs. And, true to popular culture, Nathan finds his ‘digital construct’ is a heaven that offends no one. Upload is ostensibly a comedy, but there’s a moral component that quickly comes into sharp focus. Nathan discovers in a profit-driven afterlife that there are many hidden costs. And freedom itself is limited. His pleasures are bounded by his girlfriend’s wishes, since her card pays the bills. Friendship is also in short supply. Most people come with the same attitude as those arriving at an expensive resort. They’ve paid a lot to be there and have little time to spend on anyone but themselves. Which means, as luxurious -32-
as his final destination is, Nathan’s heaven is awash with sin. Just imagine that for a moment: an eternity tainted by selfishness. Wouldn’t that actually be a definition for hell? Upload aims to reveal that a humandesigned eternity would be far from perfect, and even includes cast members who’d rather rest their hearts in a more spiritual heaven. So, we learn that whatever utopia man can conceive is only a reflection of what he’s been given and includes all his faults besides. And one built solely on pleasure wears thin over time. Our hearts yearn for something infinitely more substantial, the Giver behind the gifts. The Bible records the thinking of the wisest man in the world on this in the book of Ecclesiastes. He writes that this longing is a human design feature. God placed it in each of us, so that we might realise our limitations. When we finally learn how little we can hold on to, and how poorly we understand ourselves, we’ll be ready to humble ourselves before our greatest need: “He has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end … I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him” (Ecclesiastes 3:11,14).
big pic tu re
02 UNORTHODOX Rating: M Time slot: On demand Channel: Netflix
Unorthodox is loosely based on the New York Times bestseller by Deborah Feldman, subtitled, ‘The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots’. It picks up Feldman’s true story and translates it into the tale of Esty, a young woman born into the religiously conservative, socially exclusive community that is Hasidic Judaism. Think black-suited men with curled sideburns and oversized fur hats, accompanied by silent women in head scarves. Following her community’s traditions, Esty enters an arranged marriage at 17, where her sole responsibility will be to provide her husband, Yanky, with children. When Esty finally falls pregnant, she determines to escape to others.org.au
Germany in the hope of finding her estranged mother. However, her old life isn’t so easily shaken off. Her rabbi arranges for Yanky and his cousin to pursue her to Berlin for the sake of their faith. Unorthodox is an interesting enough escape story, but what will truly fascinate is its insight into life in a Hasidic community. Constant flashbacks show both the joys and oppression of a life lived in a never-ending struggle to please God. The oppression of man-made righteousness is everywhere. Strangely, though, it’s this religious zealotry that provides the most positive contribution. Unorthodox puts the lie to the idea that regulations and restrictions can produce the sort of righteousness that pleases God. Despite their devotion to their holy traditions, Esty’s community is riddled with pride, selfishness and cruelty. The series breathes new life into the condemnation Jesus levelled against Esty’s ancestors 2000 years earlier: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Matthew 15:7-8). A right relationship with God never relies on our understanding of him, nor our ability to reflect his character. The Bible says that these are blessings that do arise from a relationship with our Creator, but -33-
they are useless as foundations. Our inherent sinfulness means we will never be able to build firmly or high enough to please a perfect God. Which is exactly what Esty discovers. When asked why she fled her community, she tells the students who’ve befriended her: “God expected too much of me. But now I need to find my own path.” Yet the fellowship we are unable to achieve for ourselves, God promises to gift us if we lean on his Son’s efforts, rather than our own. And so, 2000 years ago, the same Jesus made an offer to those exhausted by trying to manufacture their own peace: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me ... and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Unorthodox is a good diagnosis of the problems of religion but offers little in the way of a cure. Esty rejects her Hasidic faith, only to begin construction on a new faith in herself. Though the series ends on an expectant note, it also contains early indications that Esty will not have the resources to rise to her hopes. Sadly, her character never meets someone who might point her to Jesus’ peace. But in our reality, his path continues to hold good for those who are prepared to place a foot on it. – Reviews by Mark Hadley
Conferences
M
The Salvation Army
ORE H O US E•
• S TA N
3 different conference rooms available for groups in excess of 100 people. Packages include catering, with accommodation available for up to 50 people.
Affordable accommodation
STANMORE HOUSE
Casual accommodation perfect for weekend stays. Single and double ensuite rooms. Twin or queen 1 bedroom units.
E: stanmorehouse.enquiries@aue.salvationarmy.org | P: (02) 9557 1105 | www.stanmorehouse.org.au
“Generosity to those in need matters to me...
and it’s a core value in our family.”
With a gift in your Will to The Salvation Army, your generosity can transform the lives of individuals, families and communities for generations to come. When writing or updating your Will, please consider leaving a gift to The Salvation Army. Contact The Salvation Army’s Wills and Bequests team to find out how you can start or continue a lasting legacy of generosity. Partner with us to continue God’s work and, together, we can give hope where it’s needed most long into the future.
Contact us for more information: 1800 337 082 | salvationarmy.org.au/wills willsandbequests@salvationarmy.org.au
-34-
n e w rele ase s
discussion of the place of faith in our scientific age. God, Stephen Hawking and the Mulitverse is available at Koorong. – Major Jim Weymouth
Read
Read
rolf metzger
david hutchings and david wilkinson
fragments of change
god, stephen hawking and the multiverse
Major Rolf Metzger was a divisional commander for Berlin and the new Federal States in Germany from 1989 until 1995. His recollections were first published in German in 2003 and are now made available in English. Fragments of Change: A Personal Memory of Salvation Army Service in Berlin when the Wall Came Down is a short, authentic, well-illustrated and at times most moving personal account of many small steps (fragments) leading to the recommencement of The Salvation Army in East Germany and East Berlin after an absence of more than 40 years. For instance, with God-inspired initiative and determination, Rolf and his helpers initially provided refreshments and information to those from East Berlin experiencing new freedoms after the Wall was breached in November 1989. Using the same initiative and determination, he contacted former soldiers and friends of The Salvation Army in Leipzig and reactivated a corps there. Working with its members, he secured an initial and timely registration for The Salvation Army in March 1990, as a legally constituted Christian community in East Germany. Various social services programs and corps then followed, each with their own story briefly told. Despite the many challenges and setbacks Rolf and his helpers faced, this book certainly testifies that ultimately “Jesus is victor!” Available from Sydney Salvationist Supplies (thetrade.salvos.org.au) and Melbourne Salvation Army Supplies (commerce.salvationarmy.org.au) – Lieut-Colonel Ian Southwell others.org.au
In these days, it is hard to avoid announcements of new discoveries or theories about gravity, the universe, dark matter, and so on. It is even harder to get our heads around what all this means. What are the experts actually saying? And what do their findings mean for our life and faith? Despite having an interest in science, philosophy and theology, and watching the documentaries that screen from time to time, the discoveries from Einstein onward rattle my brain. The work of Hutchings and Wilkinson (who are themselves established scientists) does a great job in unpacking some key concepts, though even with their help I confess to struggling at times. The key points of the book are that science has made and continues to make enormous progress in understanding our universe; there are major issues that remain matters of ongoing study and conjecture; in their atheistic pronouncements, Stephen Hawking and other big names are moving out of science into philosophy and theology, areas where their expertise is limited; and; the discoveries of science do not preclude a sincere and rational Christian faith. The first three points are well made. The last point is asserted but to my mind lacks punch. Apart from pointing out that there are many scientists of faith, it does little to convince me that faith is the way to go. For those exploring the intersection of faith and science, the book is well worth reading. It would be improved by an introduction that sets out the overall direction of the work and more developed -35-
Read anne graham lotz jesus in me – experiencing the holy spirit as a constant companion
Anne Graham Lotz teaches that Christian holiness is the presence of Jesus in the believer. Salvationist theologian Samuel Logan Brengle would concur and we could expect a dignified ‘amen’ from General Frederick Coutts, who quoted Brengle’s imperative that, “There is no such thing as holiness apart from Christ in you.” Jesus In Me – Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion is a good preaching resource because it combines doctrine and devotion within a conservative evangelical context. The author, daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, confides that the book was written in a time of bereavement that saw the loss of both her husband and father. Personal testimony shines through the pages along with anecdotes that convincingly ‘earth’ the teaching. Relevant biblical references add value. Chapters end with a question or comment useful for group discussion. Teaching on spiritual gifts is well based. As the title suggests, the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is helpfully kept in balance. Jesus In Me – Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion is available at Koorong (koorong.com). – Commissioner Doug Davis
n e ws
/ National
Bringing sunshine to Vietnamese community food hampers from the
Sa lvos have become the literal bread and butter for thousands of Austra lians during COVID-19 isolation, but the team at Sunshine Salvation Army knows it’s not one-size-fits-all. To best support the diverse community in Melbourne’s western suburbs, Sunshine Corps Off icers Lieutenants Colin and Phuong Reynolds are working with the Victorian chapter of the Vietnamese Communit y in Aust ra l ia (VCA) to create monthly customised food hampers for elderly and isolated Vietnamese residents. “It’s a tough time for them. They would normally rely on the assistance and support of family, but within the Vietnamese community a lot of people have been really cautious
Lieutenant Phuong Reynolds, Corps Officer at Sunshine Salvation Army, provides a Sunshine local with a food hamper customised for the Vietnamese community.
about visiting elderly relatives,” said Colin. “The residents have also heard reports of racism [due to coronavirus] and it adds another layer of fear and keeps them entrenched at home.” With seniors unable to reach out for help, Colin and Phuong brought some of their ‘sunshine’ to doorsteps as far away as St Albans and Deer Park to Flemington and Brunswick. Over two days they packed and dropped off 27 hampers loaded
with items including soy milk, fish sauce, rice and noodles. “They were very specific to that cultural group. If we had taken a normal food hamper, half of it would have been thrown away or handed back to us, so we are mindful of what they would need,” Colin said. Sunshine Salvos has a longstanding relationship with the VCA, and many Vietnamese residents attended activities at the church before COVID-19.
So, when the VCA reached out to Colin and Phuong with concerns about isolated seniors, they knew the Salvos could lend a hand. By simply knock ing on a front door and leaving a customised hamper, Colin and Phuong remind residents that there are people in the community who care for them. It also gives them a chance to make some new connections. – Jessica Morris
New resource a soldier’s kit to equip a modern Army the salvation army has
released its first truly national resource to explain what it means to be a soldier in modern society. The resource is ca l led Exploring Soldiership and is the work of the Army’s Mission Resources Department. Rod Yule, General Manager for Local Mission Delivery and
Resources, said it took nine months of collaboration with a team of people around Australia to produce the resource. “All divisional commanders nominated officers that they thought would be good to engage in this process,” Rod said. “A lot of different people at different levels fed into its development.”
The development of the resource began with a survey of officers across the nation to determine whether a kit that explored soldiership would be helpful and what it should contain. Rod said another “significant first” was that it is available in Chinese. “ We deliberately wanted to be inclusive and recognise
-36-
that we live in a multicultural Australia. Our videos include soldiers from a diverse range of cultures,” Rod said. Rod said the course could be done in a one-to-one situation or in a small group context, with a range of delivery options. The Exploring Soldiership resource link is my.salvos.org. au/exploring-soldiership/
National /
n e ws
The Waterhole an oasis for making connection cultural sensitivity is
the foundation stone of the community when living in places such as Alice Springs in the heart of Australia. This is what Captains Dean and Rhonda Clutterbuck have quick ly learnt since being appointed as corps officers there at the beginning of this year. Hav ing moved from Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia, to ‘The Alice’, the Clutterbucks are quick ly discovering where Christian theology meets the deep spiritual sensitivity that Australia’s Indigenous population embodies. One place this is seen is at The Waterhole – located next door to the heritage-listed Alice Springs corps and administration building – which has become a significant and safe meeting place for many people in Alice Springs since 2012. Rhonda said The Waterhole was like a drop-in community centre where each day between 50 and 80 homeless men, women and young children – mostly women – go to shower, do their washing, catch up with family, cook, eat, sleep, sit, use technology or play music. “It’s a safe place for people to come and they’re not hassled by anyone because they’re not congregating en masse out the front of shopping centres,” Rhonda said. “It is not always safe for homeless women to sleep out at night – so these women might spend the whole time they are here sleeping [there are mattresses available].” COV I D -19 re st r ic t ions have reduced the number of others.org.au
Local resident Emma Nelson hangs some of her washing on the line at The Waterhole in Alice Springs.
The Waterhole logo, painted by Sonia Daniels in 2012, hangs in The Salvation Army-run centre.
people using the centre, which has impacted the thriving art program. The artists – again most ly women – usua l ly produce many pieces for the peak tourist period, which is around this time of year. Rhonda said that, for several weeks leading up to cooler months of the year, when the tourists came, the artists were prolific in their output. The centre’s facilities are rundown. The amenities block has four showers and four toilets at one end and two disabled toilets and showers in another area. Rhonda said the men and
women had been showering in the same area, which was not culturally sensitive, so that had been reorganised. “The men have been good, and they respect that’s the ladies’ space,” she said. “Our facilities are not appropriate for the amount of people we have coming through. The Making it Happen money [a territorial women’s fundraising campaign] is to upgrade the facilities to give the women more dignity. “The laundry is dark and it’s very hot and there is a plan to change it along with plans to have an outdoor kitchen with electric barbecues.” R honda sa id ma ny of the women who used The Waterhole liked to cook their own food “but there is only so much a microwave oven can do ... they like to bring in their own kangaroo tail, but it doesn’t smell good in the microwave.” She said The Waterhole was great for connection between the church and community. “Across the road is a park
-37-
where a lot of our people live, so then all they have to do is come across the road,” Rhonda said. “A lot of people know about Jesus, but it’s not about telling people about him – it’s about deepening that journey with them because they have a mixture of their Christian faith as well as the Indigenous spiritual beliefs.” Rhonda said about 80 per cent of the corps congregation was Indigenous and, while they kept most of their concerns and issues private, rarely preferring to speak of them, many were quick to ask for prayer, particularly for safety, health, anger issues, family and housing. “So, it’s about continuing the journey with them and modelling that this place is a Christian place and not accepting some of the outside behaviour that can sometimes creep in – and treating people how they should be treated in Christ because a lot of them have it tough,” Rhonda said. – Darryl Whitecross
n e ws
/ National
More safe spaces for Tasmania’s homeless rough sleepers in tasmania
will soon have more spaces to safely lay their head. The Tasmanian Government has approved a $2.5 million grant for Safe Space (formerly Safe Night Space) in Hobart to run for another six months and be expanded to Launceston and Burnie. This follows a successful pilot program run by the Salvos in partnership with Hobart City Mission and Hobart City Council. “Safe Space exists to provide a safe space for rough sleepers to come at night – that was a gap in service provision,” said Dr Jed Donoghue, State Manager of The Salvation Army Housing
The expansion of Safe Space across Tasmania will benefit people doing it tough like Craig, who has found safety and community with the program in Hobart. Photo courtesy Hobart City Mission.
experience homelessness, isolation or are rough sleepers. The additional government funding will allow the original location behind Hobart Hospital to open 24 hours a day and enable locations to open in Burnie and Launceston in partnership with Launceston City Mission. The expansion couldn’t be timelier for the housing and homelessness team, who have
and Homelessness Services. “We’re trying to encourage them to connect with support services, mental health services, drug and alcohol services, even legal services and the hospital – so we can address everything that may have caused them to become homeless, or are consequences of rough sleeping.” To date, Safe Space has sheltered 158 people who
seen an increase in homelessness during COVID-19. “We are getting new people through safe place shelter every night – every one of those people gets a referral. It’s a fairly dynamic situation that we found ourselves working in,” said Don McCrae, Team Leader at Salvation Army Supported Housing in Hobart. – Jessica Morris
Just Brass students stay in tune during self-isolation period while we all self-isolate
during COVID-19, spare a thought for the budding musicians who can’t attend Just Brass lessons at school. While The Salvation Army music program is normally based on face-to-face tutoring, corps from across Australia have found innovative ways to keep the love of music alive – most notably keeping children and families on the fringe of society connected. The Geelong Just Brass team have been busy delivering music theory packs. “We decided that
Geelong-based Just Brass students received a pile of fun music theory in their packs.
we needed to do something for our kids to keep them engaged, so we did a big drive around to about 70 kids, and I put a music
pack together, full of fun theory sheets,” says Melinda Whelan, the Geelong coordinator. They chose to connect with their families this way because some kids don’t have the technolog y to facilitate online lessons. The model also allows them to check in on students semi-regularly. Also in Victoria, the Hobsons Bay Just Brass team are hosting a weekly show-and-tell, interacting via Zoom so the kids can stay in touch with one another. Armadale Just Brass, in Western Australia, is setting a
-38-
similar example by providing regular online content via Facebook, so music remains part of homeschooling. And in South Australia, Arndale Just Brass has put together specific packs and dropped them in students’ mailboxes. “The reaction of kids when they see each other online through Just Brass shows how valuable belonging is,” said Britteny Ling, national coordinator for Just Brass. “They want to keep playing and they want to play together.” – Jessica Morris
National /
n e ws
Relocation gives Pindari residents new view on life smiles on faces of residents
of The Salvation Army Pindari homeless persons’ hostel in Brisbane tell the story of their relocation to new temporary crisis accommodation not far away as part of the Queensland Government’s efforts to combat COVID-19. Despite the emotional farewell to the old building, it is only temporary, but many were nervously excited about the move. All Pindari residents – about 100 – were moved in a two-day operation last month from Spring Hill to Toowong about 6km away as part of the government initiative to house some of the city’s most vulnerable people in one place. It is believed this is the first time Pindari has been empty since the complex was built in the late 1970s. Only a small staff, including kitchen staff, remain on-site,
Left: Dean Reynolds settles into his self-contained room at Atira, Toowong. Right: A view of the Brisbane River from a room in Atira.
the “congregational sharing model” used by accommodation support services such as Pindari had the potential to spread the virus. While saying they were nervous about what awaited them, many from Pindari said
particularly the intake and assessment team. This staff will be on duty during the day, but the building will be locked at night. The Army’s Homelessness State Manager, Aaron Pimlott, said the government feared
they were happy and excited to be moving to the new building – the Atira student apartments on Glen Road in inner-city Toowong. Dean Reynolds, who has been a Pindari resident for about six weeks this time, said he appreciated the individual air-conditioning unit in his new room. All rooms in Atira have a small kitchen with a microwave oven, cooktop, fridge/ freezer crockery and cutlery. It comes with a bed, television, small desk and a chair. The main reception desk in the foyer is to be manned 24 hours a day and the complex will have a strong security presence. Atira’s first floor has been turned into a medical level with doctors and nurses and medical facilities available. – Darryl Whitecross
Diversity team making sure everyone is included “together we can make
The new resource from The Salvation Army Diversity and Inclusion Team is now available.
others.org.au
sure nobody is forgotten” – this is the focus of The Salvation Army Diversity and Inclusion team as it works to build awareness and assist local Salvos to support and include Australia’s diverse communities. To assist in this ministry, the team, in consultation with several of these communities, has released a resource booklet – #dontforgetaboutme – with information, suggestions and resources to equip Salvos as they respond to the needs of the most vulnerable in our
communities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These vulnerable communities include people living with a disability, asylum seekers and refugees, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and international students, survivor victims of family and domestic violence, and men struggling with mental health issues. Recognising the abilities of everyone as a part of humanity and deepening relationships beyond welcome and into inclusion are just some of the goals
-39-
and aspirations of the team as it focuses on raising awareness around inclusion and its application in front-line mission expressions. In early May, the team held a successful online workshop, kicking off the conversation around disability inclusion for The Salvation Army. To download the resource book let and access other Diversity and Inclusion projects, click on this link: my.salvos. org.au/toolkit/resource/national-diversity-and-inclusion-ministry-team-resources/1771/
n e ws
/ National
Vehicle donation idea hits the road an idea that won approval
through The Salvation Army IDEAS Platform has come to fruition – the launch of a ‘Donate a Vehicle’ initiative to fund the Army’s Drive for Life program. Drive for Life is a driver t r a i n i n g a nd mentor i n g prog r a m i n NS W a nd Queensland for young people overcoming adversity. The Salvation Army launched its IDEAS Platform last September to nurture, grow and support innovation across the Australia Territory. The crowdsourcing website ideas.salvationarmy.org.au enables transparenc y and ideas-sharing, with anyone able to submit an idea, vote on ideas, comment on an idea or subscribe to an idea. Ideas with the greatest support are moved through to
The Salvation Army Drive for Life program trains and mentors young people experiencing barriers to obtaining their licence.
the ‘Redemptive Design Lab’ stage where they are fleshed out and “meat gets put on the bone”, according to Greig Whittaker, The Salvation Army Executive Manager for Innovation. “We [need to] understand the story and what we were trying to achieve,” he said. “Who the strategic players were and what the partners looked like, and also the financial implications of the project. So, the ‘Donate a Vehicle’ idea went from Redemptive Design Lab
to finding a strategic partner because the idea is critical to finding the right partner.” That ‘right partner’ was Slat ter y Auctions and Valuations, which teamed with The Salvation Army and invested its time and expertise to develop the ‘Donate a Vehicle’ program. It allows people to donate their vehicle (anything you’ve got ‘lying around’, according to Greig, “be it a jet ski or a car or a tractor or a plane”) and have
Slattery auction the vehicle, with the money raised going to support Drive for Life. “The vehicles themselves are not what we use for Drive for Life,” said Greig. “We use the cash from the vehicles to run the program.” To support the ‘Donate a Vehicle’ program or for more information, click on this link: slatteryauctions.com.au/ donate-vehicle. All donations are tax-deductible. – Lauren Martin
Salvos Stores reopen in some locations around country as covid-19 restrictions
start to ease across Australia, Salvos Stores is reopening some stores with strict boundaries around social distancing. Seventy-eight stores opened their doors across the country on Monday 11 May for op shoppers and as a place for people to donate items. In some states and territories, Salvation
Army Thrift and Family Stores have also reopened. “Salvos Stores plays a vital role in our communities by ensuring our customers have access to great quality items at reasonable prices, as well as providing support for the most vulnerable in our community,” said Matt Davis in a statement released by The Salvation Army
mission enterprise. “ With winter approaching, we want to ensure our community has access to the items they need.” Additional safety precautions are being put in place including increased cleaning, contactless payment (where feasible), the installation of protective shields at counters, the provision of personal protective equipment -40-
(PPE) for all team members, hand-sanitising stations at store entrances and the holding of all donations for 72 hours before processing for sale. The first stores opened will be monitored as part of a staged process across the country. To f ind out which Salvos Stores are now open, click this link: salvosstores.com.au/
National /
n e ws
Winnebago gets bushfire recovery on the road a salvation army-branded
Winnebago has started making its way through bushf ireaffected areas of NSW, offering holistic support to people still suffering from the disaster. The Winnebago is a result of a private donation to The Salvation Army disaster relief services and a partnership with the Minderoo Foundation. It has been fitted internally with office space and allows two Bushfire Outreach Workers to safely follow social-isolation restrictions while working from the vehicle. Salvation Army outreach workers from Moneycare and
The new Winnebago ‘support vehicle’ that will help The Salvation Army with its ongoing bushfire recovery efforts.
Doorways services will also attend planned outreach visitations, with tables and chairs being set up outside the parked Winnebago to connecy with
people in the community. Martin Boyle, who heads up a team of Salvation Army Bushf ire Recovery Workers who have been on the ground working in local communities remotely since February, said this would highlight The Salvation Army’s presence in the community. “We will organise with the local council to park somewhere and set up signage,” he said. “There are still people who have never had to access services before, and there are a lot of proud people out there who really don’t want to ask for help.”
Will you change a life today? For $35 a month, you can be part of bringing an end to poverty,
discrimination and injustice. It takes less than five minutes to
sign up to Salvos Sponsorship.
Find out more: salvos.org.au/international-development or call 02 9466 3105
others.org.au
-41-
Ma r t in added t hat he hoped the relaxed nature of a Winnebago parked in a town would encourage people to stop by for a chat. “[We want them to know that] it’s not a handout,” he said. “We are here to help and support people, we want to work with them, to empower them on their recovery journey.” When The Salvation Army’s bushfire response finally winds down, the Winnebago will be kept within The Salvation Army Emergency Ser vices (SAES) fleet for use in future disaster recovery work. – Lauren Martin
n e ws
/ International
Army brings relief to firefront near Chernobyl salvation army personnel
provided welfare support to front-line teams tackling wildf ires that raged through an exclusion zone surrounding the former nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in late April. Radiation levels 16 times higher than normal posed a major threat for f iref ighters and the other 1000 emergency personnel deployed. The Salvation Army in Ukraine provided bottled water, lantern batteries and disposable tableware to aid with refreshment breaks for the front-line workers. Major Veaceslav Cotrutsa, Divisional Commander for Ukraine, explained: “It was
Salvation Army officers and volunteers provided water, batteries and some catering supplies to assist personnel fighting wildfires on the edge of the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
important for The Salvation Army to help firefighters in meeting their needs – particularly [drinking] water. “The purity of our air and the control of radiation in the air depends on them. We went there with our prayers and the
hope that we would bring them not only some help but also the encouragement and support of their spirit.” The Salvation Army plans two further visits to the region, due to ongoing needs and the scale of the disaster.
More than 33 years ago, on 25-26 April 1986, the world’s worst nuclear disaster took place at the Chernobyl power plant, near the now abandoned Ukrainian city of Pripyat, when an explosion sent radioactive material into the air.
New film explores life for migrants
Weekly video update on pandemic
a new film co-produced by
last month, international
the International Headquarters Communications team, the Brazil Territory and the International Emergency Services team has been released online. Displaced is a 50-minute documentary filmed on location in Brazil and incorporates experiences of migrants from around the world. Much of the program concentrates on the journey undertaken by Venezuelan migrants leaving behind economic and political turmoil in search of a better life in Brazil.
Viewers are able to hear the stories of migrants from all sectors of society as they cross over the border – their reasons for leaving their own country and their hopes and dreams for the future. To view the film, go to salvationarmy.org/ihq/displaced
Headqua r ters launched a week ly v ideo series that explores some of the ways that The Salvation Army around the world is helping people in response to COVID-19. The f irst video included initiatives in Australia, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia and Poland. These initiatives included good distribution, f inancial assistance, hot food programs, education, outdoor exercise, ‘ boredom buster’ bags and delivering Salvation Army publications to prisons.
-42-
General Brian Peddle has also called for ongoing prayer from Salvationists around the world. Videos are found at the International Salvation Army’s Facebook page, on the IHQ website salvationarmy.org/ihq/ covid19 or at others.org.au
International /
IHQ launches COVID-19 support body launched
Royal couple assist with care parcels the salvation army in the
general brian peddle has
authorised the formation of an International Headquarters body to respond specifically to the coronavirus pandemic. The General wants to ensure that local ability to carry out life-changing ministry should not be hampered by the lack of access to resources. C om m i s s ione r Ly nd on Buckingham, Chief of the Staff, will head the COVID-19 International Response Group aimed at giving much-needed support swiftly and efficiently, freeing local Salvationists to concentrate on fulfilling the most pressing needs. The new group will be able to provide access to funds in cases that may previously have had to wait for a donor to be identified. The group has so far agreed to the funding of more than 59 ‘Rapid Response’ projects – overseen by International Emergency Services – and 60 ‘Over and Above’ Mission Support projects through International Development Services.
n e ws
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack at the Croydon centre where they assisted The Salvation Army in packing care parcels.
United Kingdom had a little help from royalty last month. Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank assisted with the packing of some of the thousands of food parcels being distributed at one of the Army’s new regional food hubs in Croydon, London. These hubs have been set up across the UK and aim to distribute 22,000 food parcels to those hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. It is the Army’s biggest emergency food response in more than 60 years. The Royal couple helped pack basic food items into parcels that will help feed hundreds of vulnerable people. Princess Eugenie and her mother Sarah, Duchess of York, have also helped organise some bulk food donations to the hubs. The princess said: “I have witnessed f irst hand [the Army’s] dedication and hard work, so when they invited Jack and I to their newly-created hub to pack boxes, we jumped at the chance.”
Army’s coronavirus response extends to over 100 countries the salvation army has
COVID-19 responses in more than 100 of the 131 countries in which it officially operates, with food security remaining a major priority. In Angola, The Salvation Army has identif ied 2000 individuals – primarily women – in great need of food assistance and is stepping up to others.org.au
provide cereal, beans, oil, sugar and salt. Providing access to food for homeless people in Colombia and El Salvador is central to a new initiative in Latin America. In India, The Salvation Army is providing around 20,000 migrants with simple snack boxes, across 10 divisions in the west of the country. -43-
Assisting local authorities in the battle for public health is another lynchpin of The Salvation Army’s response. In Uruguay, teams of officers and volunteers have been distributing cleaning and hygiene kits to some of the most susceptible communities near Salto. In Kenya, Army teams are
disseminating information about control and prevention of coronavirus in several communities. The Salvation Army is also addressing spiritual needs wherever possible. In Dublin, Ireland, online Sunday school materials are being provided along with craft activities for children and young people.
tribute s
edwin hayes
lieut-colonel edwin
James Hayes was promoted to glory on 13 April, aged 93. Eddie was born in Horfield, Bristol, United Kingdom, on 3 September 1926. He accepted Jesus as his Saviour at the age of seven. He went on to become a maintenance engineer, immigrating to Australia and working for Kalamazoo as an accounting (MC) maintenance engineer from 1948-1952. He responded to God’s calling on his life and entered the Melbourne Officer Training College in March 1953 from Hobart, joining the Heralds session of cadets. On 17 December 1955, Eddie married Elsie Edwards from Launceston. She had entered the training college the year after Eddie. Together with his wife he served in several corps appointments prior to embarking upon a lengthy period of service in the social services department. In 1956, they welcomed their first child, Joy, and in 1958 their second daughter, Susan. Eddie and Elsie then added to their family in 1961 when they welcomed Philip. Eddie also commenced university studies in that same year. In late 1962, Eddie took up full-time university studies prior to taking up an appointment at The Open Door, a counselling rehabilitation centre in Melbourne. Later that same year they completed their family by welcoming their second son, Stephen. Eddie applied himself to a disciplined study program gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree and a diploma in social studies, also becoming a graduate in vocational counselling. Eddie went on to serve for 16 years at The Open Door and the Gill Memorial men’s home before an appointment as the corps officer at Preston Corps. Further roles included divisional chancellor in South Australia followed by divisional commander in Northern Victoria. Eddie’s final appointment before retirement was as social service secretary for Victoria.
In retirement, Eddie and Elsie continued to volunteer their time, experience and service in relief appointments of varying durations at places including Levenbank Aged Care in Ulverstone (Tas.) and Thornton Heath Corps in the United Kingdom.
peter callander
lieut-colonel peter
Callander was promoted to glory on 17 April, aged 80. His funeral service was conducted by LieutColonels Ian and Vivien Callander on 24 April. Peter was born in Ararat (Vic.) on 14 April 1940 to Rita and Ernest. He was the eldest of five boys. He accepted Jesus as his Saviour at the age of eight. He attended Fairfield Corps for a time but then transferred to Moreland Corps, where he met and subsequently married Sandra Rae Paton in 1964. Together they entered the Melbourne Officer Training College in 1966, joining the Witnesses to the Faith session of cadets. In 1967, they welcomed their first child, Jacqueline, into their family. In 1968, Peter and Sandra took up their first appointment at Frankston Corps, during which time their second child, Brett, was born. In 1971, their third child, Tania, joined the family while they were stationed at Glenroy Corps. A series of corps appointments followed at Brunswick, Whyalla, Unley and Malvern. Peter and Sandra left Australia in 1979 as captains to serve overseas at the William Booth Hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia. While appointed to the hospital, Peter and Sandra also acted for a period as the corps officers at William Booth IV Corps in Surabaya. In 1982, Peter and Sandra were appointed to manage the community development program in Palu, Sulawesi. They returned to South Australia in 1985 and took up a term as corps officers at Norwood. Peter went on to serve as the -44-
divisional secretary in South Australia, then together with Sandra as divisional leaders for the South Division of the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. Peter was then appointed as the general secretary for Hong Kong and Macau Command, before they returned to Australia where Peter was appointed as divisional commander of Tasmania. In 1999, Peter was appointed as assistant chief secretary of the Australia Southern Territory and executive officer of the Melbourne Staff Band, later serving in the territorial Wills and Bequests Department. Peter went on to give an extension of service as regional secretary in Taiwan. From that appointment, Peter and Sandra entered retirement, although an opportunity came to serve for three months in 2007 as acting divisional leaders in Moldova, Eastern Europe Territory. In retirement, Peter and Sandra loved spending time with family and friends, gardening, connecting with people from other cultures and holidaying with the caravan club. Sandra was promoted to glory on 24 March 2017.
jean watson
major florence jean
Watson was promoted to glory on 16 April, aged 87. Jean was born in Adamstown, NSW, on 27 November 1932. She worked as a nurse before entering the Sydney Officer Training College in 1957 from West Ryde Corps, joining the Faithful session of cadets. After her commissioning in 1958, Jean spent the next 10 years serving in hospitals, moving between the Bethesda Hospitals in Sydney and Rockhampton, as well as Boothville Hospital in Brisbane. During this time, in 1964, she also became a delegate to the International College for Officers. In January 1967, a change of appointment brought Jean into aged care, where
tribute s
over the next 11 years she served in three centres, one of which was Booth House, Dulwich Hill, for nine years, caring for elderly women. In 1978, Jean had another change of direction in ministry, with her appointment to drug and alcohol rehabilitation. She was appointed the director of nursing in the detox unit at William Booth Institute and for the next 10 years invested her energy, skill and compassion in this significant work. It was here that Jean and Major Coral Phillips became colleagues in ministry, an association which would continue into retirement. Jean’s final appointment before retirement was Samaritan House manager in Sydney. Retirement began in January 1993, when Jean joined Coral, already retired, in Cowra. For 19 years Cowra was home and a place where Jean found opportunity to serve at the corps Family Store as a volunteer. Jean and Coral relocated to Scarborough in Queensland in 2012, settling happily into the fellowship of Redcliffe City Corps.
francis carger
francis (frank) william
Carger, of Adelaide Congress Hall, was promoted to glory on 20 February, aged 90. A service of thanksgiving was held at Ingle Farm Corps on 2 March, with Captain Shane Healey (Corps Officer Adelaide
Tribute reports
others.org.au
Congress Hall) officiating. A band of present and past Adelaide Congress Hall and Ingle Farm members provided musical support. Frank’s son Rod Carger, Adelaide Congress Hall bandmaster, paid a tribute to his father’s life and service. Colin (son) and Sharon Brinkley (daughter) read selected Scripture passages marked in Frank’s Bible. Sarah Green and Michael Brinkley spoke of their grandfather’s influence in their lives. Captain Healey brought a devotional message and at the end of the service the band formed a guard of honour outside as the hearse drove away. Frank was born in Leederville (WA) on 3 February 1930, to George and Violet. He was the youngest of three children. The family attended Leederville Corps before transferring to Perth Fortress Corps in 1939. They moved to Adelaide in 1949 and attended Adelaide Congress Hall Corps. Frank met Gloria Thompson, a member of the corps youth group, and they were married in September 1952. In March 1953, Frank and Gloria entered the Melbourne Officer Training College and were commissioned in 1954. They served as corps officers at Wodonga, Rochester and Kerang. Frank joined the Australian Army as a bandsman in 1963, where he served for 15 years. He then worked for the Motor Vehicles Department before retiring in 1994. Frank attended Adelaide Congress Hall Corps for more than 60 years. Over that period, he was a member of the band, male chorus and songster brigade. He also took on the role of bandmaster at Seacombe Gardens Corps for a period.
doug hamilton
doug hamilton was
promoted to glory on 6 October 2019, aged 83. His funeral service, led by Major Grattan Savage, was held on 15 October at Arndale Corps, Adelaide. Doug started his Salvation Army life in Mount Gambier, after Captain Hedley Preston counselled the family following the tragic death of Doug’s younger sister. He left Mount Gambier to work for South Australian Railways and met Beverley Burgan, to whom he was married for 60 years. Doug and Bev moved several times early in their marriage, always attending the local corps. The first move was to Ki Ki, where they attended Murray Bridge Corps. They then shifted to Paratoo and attended Peterborough Corps. A move to Bev’s hometown of Port Pirie followed before they settled in Adelaide in 1973. They linked with Hindmarsh Corps, which later became Renown Park, a corps that merged with Kilkenny to become Arndale. Throughout his soldiership, Doug was a keen songster and bandsman, playing his double bass until his retirement due to poor health. He had also held the position of corps sergeant major for some time. Doug is survived by Bev, his children Roger, Meredith, Gavin, Kylie, Heather and Sandra, and 13 grandchildren.
To have a Tribute included in an issue of Others, please email your report of no more than 250 words and accompanied by a high-resolution (no smaller than 1mb) head-and-shoulders photograph of the individual, to others@salvationarmy.org.au
-45-
salvation story
NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP LESLEY NOW words jessica morris
lesley ward is always on the go. if
the passionate Salvo isn’t coordinating the Leeton Corps food bank or making plans for the drop-in centre, she is recording an online sermon. And all the while she is raising two foster kids plus her own daughter, as a single mum. While COVID-19 may have caused the world to come to a grinding halt, it has only given Lesley the fuel she needs to go full steam ahead – all the way to Officer Training College. “Basically, we haven’t stopped – we are open 24/7 at Leeton [in the NSW Riverina region],” she says. “I wake up and I say, ‘I’ve got something new today and we are gonna do it!’ And we’ll get it done – we have that time now to plod along.” With her heart for the community so enmeshed in her ministry, it’s hard to believe that Lesley has only been at Leeton Salvos for four months. Between coordinating social-distancing sermons for the elderly, pastoral visits and shopping for basic supplies, she is living out the dream she had as a young girl – a call to officership. “All my life I’ve been trying to get to college. I was a junior soldier at Dubbo Corps at age of 11, a senior soldier at 16, even part of the timbrel brigade at age seven!” she laughs. “I did all my cadet
Leeton Corps Leader Lesley Ward running a community stall at nearby Barellan earlier this year.
course things. But I was with my former husband at 16, and becoming an officer wasn’t an option.” As life drew Lesley away from the Salvos, her heart for mission remained. She graduated with a nursing degree, worked in childcare and, over time, fostered 46 children. However, things were not easy for her at home. “I think God has laid a foundation for me with everything I have been through in my life – and now I have been able to help others,” she says. “I’ve been abused by others, raised a lot of kids and dealt with lots of kids with problems. I’m able to work with all age groups, which has given me the foundation to help others.” Two years ago, Lesley left her troubled marriage – coincidentally, at the same time she returned to the Salvos at nearby -46-46-
Griffith Corps. She walked past the church building every day and after thinking she had been snubbed by a church member, approached them to ask why. The miscommunication was resolved, and Lesley found herself back ‘home’ again after decades away from the Salvos. A year later, her calling to officership firmly in mind, she was appointed as the Corps Leader at Leeton – the very place her daughter and grandchildren already live. Lesley is now on a powerful, life-giving path; the one she was always created for. “If people need me, I’m there. I’m here for Leeton,” she says. “Nothing is stopping me now.”
*
Lesley shared her story with Others staff writer Jessica Morris.
ga ze t te
ABOUT PEOPLE
appointments Effective 27 April Major Julie Howard, Flying Padre and Rural Chaplain, Northern Territory Community Engagement Department, Office of the Secretary for Mission; Major Brian Pratt (ret.) will commence in the appointment of Head of Officer Personnel (pro tem), effective Monday 27 April 2020 until Appointment Change 2021. Effective 1 June Amanda Merrett, Chair, Moral and Social Issues Council, Australia Territory; Casey O'Brien Machado, Deputy Chair, Moral and Social Issues Council, Australia Territory. Effective 8 June Lieuts Cameron and Maryanne Lovering, Corps Officers, Rochester, Victoria Division. Effective 25 May Aux-Lieut David Dobbie, Youth and Young Adults Secretary, Qld, Mission Support Department, Office of the Secretary for Mission (concurrent appointment). Effective 1 July Captains Ashish and Sandra Pawar, Corps Officers, Auburn, NSW/ACT Division.
international appointments Effective 1 August Lieut-Colonels Luka and Rasoa Khayumbi, officers of the Kenya West Territory, are appointed as Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries, respectively, Kenya West Territory.
with with the rank of commissioner; Lieut-Colonels Seth and Janet Appeateng, officers of the Ghana Territory, are appointed as Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries, respectively, with the rank of colonel; Majors Jean Laurore and Elianise Clenat, officers of the Caribbean Territory, are appointed as Officer Commanding and Command President of Women’s Ministries, respectively, Rwanda and Burundi Command, with the rank of lieut-colonel. Effective 2 September Colonel Wayne Bungay, an officer of the Canada and Bermuda Territory, is appointed as Territorial Commander, Zimbabwe and Botswana Territory, with with the rank of commissioner.
promoted to glory Major Daphne Jeffrey, on 24 March; Lieut-Colonel Edwin Hayes, on 13 April; Major Jean (Florence) Watson, on 16 April; Lieut-Colonel Peter Callander, on 17 April.
bereavement Aux-Lieutenant Matt Atkins, of his father, Graham Atkins, on 31 March; Captain Michael Cossington, of his mother, Betty Cossington, on 29 February; Major Rohna Venables, of her brother, Ronald (Ron) Mullane, on 6 March; Major Glenyce Richardson, of her husband, Jeffrey Richardson, on 24 March; Major Valda Mole, of her grand-daughter, Katie Mole, on 17 March; Major Jeanette Van Gaalen, of her father, Ron Williams, on 14 March; Captain Michelle Myles, of her mother, Janice Sibley, on 8 March; Major Steve Metcher, of his brother, Gerry; Major Martyn Scrimshaw and Captain Karen Armstrong, of their father, Rev. Norm Scrimshaw, on 1 March; Major Pam Taekema, of her mother, Mavis Draper, on 24 April.
retirement Major Raewyn Grigg, on 1 April; Commissioners Jennifer and Peter Walker, on 1 April; Majors David and Val Prigg, on 19 April; Colonels Julie and Kelvin Alley, on 30 April; Major Mavis Salt, on 30 April; Majors Garry and Sue Cox, on 30 April.
Effective 1 September Colonel Deborah Bungay, an officer of the Canada and Bermuda Territory, is appointed as Territorial President of Women’s Ministries, Zimbabwe and Botswana Territory,
others
Join the conversation @OthersAU
others.org.au
-47-
@Others_AU
OthersAU
str ap
Commissioners Janine and Robert Donaldson, leaders of the Australia Territory, have called The Salvation Army across the nation to enter into 21 days of intentional prayer and prophetic listening.
Starts Sunday, 31 May 2020 Pentecost Sunday We want to be a strong, united voice – boldly praying it forward for: Eva Borrow's ad Full page go here. • Our future – asking Godcollege to clearly reveal his to plans for us post-COVID-19 •
A mighty moving of the spirit across our Army and our nation, that will give us the courage and conviction to be all He has raised us up to be
•
Courage to stop doing what has been unfruitful in the past, to embrace what God is revealing in this time and to continue to thrive in the things that are bearing the fruit of transformed lives
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 For more information and resources: www.my.salvos.org.au/pray-it-forward/